The Internet connects thousands of computers world wide through well known protocols, for example, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP), into a vast network. A computer needs a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address to communicate once connected to the Internet. Information on the Internet is stored world wide as computer files, mostly written in the Hypertext Mark Up Language (“HTML”). The collection of all such publicly available computer files is known as the World Wide Web (WWW).
The WWW is a multimedia-enabled hypertext system used for navigating the Internet and is made up of hundreds of thousands of web pages with images, text and video files, which can be displayed on a computer monitor. Each web page can have connections to other pages, which may be located on any computer connected to the Internet.
The WWW is based on the concept of hypertext, where connections from parts of text to other documents can be hidden behind words and phrases. The connections to hypertexts are referred to as hypertext links and they allow users to read documents in any order desired.
The WWW also uses hypermedia that connects links to pictures, sounds and any other data files, which can be stored on a computer. Conventionally, hypermedia connects data files regardless of their format.
A typical Internet user uses a client program called a “Web Browser” to connect to the Internet. A user can connect to the Internet via a proprietary network, such as America Online or CompuServe, or via an Internet Service Provider, e.g., Earthlink.
A Web Browser may run on any computer connected to the Internet. Currently various browsers are available of which two prominent browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The Web Browser receives and sends requests to a web server and acquires information from the WWW. A web server is a program that, upon receipt of a request, sends the requested document to the requesting user.
A standard naming convention known as Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) has been adopted to represent hypermedia links and links to network services. Most files or service can be represented with a URL. URLs enable Web Browsers to go directly to any file held on any WWW server. A URL typically consists of three parts: the transfer format (the protocol type), the host name of the machine which holds the file (WWW server name) and the path name to the file.
Information from the WWW is accessed using well-known protocols, including the Hypertext Transport Protocol (“HTTP”), the Wide Area Information Service (“WAIS”) and the File Transport Protocol (“FTP”), over TCP/IP protocol. The transfer format for standard WWW pages is Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
The Internet is also integrated with television, smart phones and other electronic devices, making electronic commerce a viable option for thousands of consumers and businesses alike. In a typical electronic commerce transaction, a consumer visits the web site of a seller, views an electronic image of a product or witnesses a product demonstration via a video/audio stream and may purchase a product or services by using a credit or debit card.
With the increasing popularity of the Internet, electronic mail (“email”) has become a popular way to communicate. Email allows users to send text, pictures, video and audio recordings to a recipient or to a group of recipients.
Typically, a user will create an email message using an email program running on a computer that is or can be connected to a network of computers. The email message can include text, recorded and live video, audio files, image files and embedded web site links. Email messages also include sender's email address. A user electronically transmits email messages to a recipient or a group of recipients. The recipient(s) can read and reply to email messages using an email program running on a computer.
The Internet is commonly used to send and receive email messages from anywhere in the world. Every user has a unique email address. The general form of an email address is given as: User@Domain.com. Domain is defined as the domain name service (“DNS”) that implements the protocol used for email transfer. The protocol used for electronic mail on the Internet is called the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (“SMTP”), where a user invokes SMTP to send an email.
Retailers and business entities today can conduct large-scale business in the electronic commerce environment and communicate with thousands of consumers via email messages. Advertising materials to consumers can also be sent via email messages that can contain text, images, video clips and web site addresses.
Currently, consumers receive electronic advertising material either as a part of a mass email transmission (“email blast”), or when a consumer provides an individual profile. Both the foregoing options have limitations. Mass email blasts may not consider what an individual consumer desires or prefers. Furthermore, getting consumers to provide individual profiles is difficult because consumers may not willingly provide personal information.
Hence, what is needed is a method and system that efficiently and intelligently transmits advertising/promotional material by tracking individual user preferences.